Physical Condition: I was diagnosed with leukNEW JERSEY BIKE RACE FOR THE CURE - 2010 REGISTRATION

Name: Jeffrey AlperAge: 13Grade (if applicable): 8th

Physical Condition: I was diagnosed with leukemia at age 5 (for more details, read Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick, but that book is mostly about my brother Stephen and how hard it was for him when he was in eighth grade for me to have cancer, FYI). My cancer is in remission, but, like I say in this new book that’s out about my eighth grade year, After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick, “Treatment is nothing compared to what happens after you’ve been ‘cured.’ . . . Being a cancer survivor can be a life sentence all its own.” Because of all the intense radiation and chemotherapy I received, I walk with a limp on my right side and have some neurological damage that basically makes me “a little scrambled up” and I can’t focus in class for any period of time. So if you want me to figure out math, or be some sort of math genius like my dad, the accountant, well, you can forget about it.

Oh, yeah: I’m short, chubby, and I wear glasses. Do those count as conditions?

Interests: My girlfriend, Lindsay. (WHOA, IT’S WEIRD TO WRITE THAT! Seriously, who would have thought a girl, let alone Lindsay, the coolest, most down-to-Earth, and hottest girl in the school, would ever like me!?! Did I mention I’m spacey and chubby with a limp? You could call me Chubby Limp! Why would Lindsay go for a kid named Chubby Limp? Shrug, but it’s pretty cool.

Hero: My brother, Stephen. Stephen is currently wandering Africa banging on some hand drums “to find himself” while I suffer through 8th grade, the second worst year of my life. I used to depend on Stephen for everything, but now that I might not pass the eighth grade because of some stupid state test in math (Mom and Dad don’t know about this because I, er, shoved the letter from the school about the tests down the garbage disposal) and a girl actually likes me for the first time in my life (seriously, holy crap) where is he? AFRICA!

I wish I could only be angry at him, but truth is, I really miss him.

Inspiration: Um, if you ever tell him this I’ll ride my bike off a pier, but my inspiration is my friend Tad who’s also a cancer survivor. Tad’s also got a whole bunch of messed up problems from his treatment, (his leukemia was even worse than mine, so he’s in a wheelchair and has brain damage, which may or may not be the cause of a serious bitterness problem), but we’re trying to help each other live life to the fullest (and pass eighth grade) which means I have to put up with him while he tutors me in math and he has to put up with me yelling at him to try harder on the exercise bike during gym class because I want to see him walk across the stage at graduation. That’s right, Tad: walk. Together we’re gonna make our goals for each other happen. Read After Ever After to see how we do....more